Ally’s #31: The Strategy of Satan–How to Detect and Defeat Him by Warren Wiersbe

I can’t remember how long ago I purchased this book or why, but I’m glad it was sitting on our bookshelf waiting for me. Now that Jim and I are moving forward in serving as missionaries in the Czech Republic, we’ve found ourselves (namely, our marriage) under attack. I picked up this book hoping that Wiersbe would be able to shed some light on the devil’s strategies so that we can better guard ourselves.

While the cover and title are a little eerie, the content is straightforward, extremely practical, and packed with supporting Scripture. Wiersbe starts focusing on four Old Testament figures who encountered Satan: Eve, Job, King David, and Joshua. In addressing each encounter, Wiersbe lays out Satan’s target, his weapon, his purpose, and our defense.

In the garden, Satan attacked Eve’s mind, feeding her lies in an effort to make her ignorant of God’s will. With Job, Satan attacked his body in the hopes that his suffering would make him impatient with God’s will. Satan utilized David’s pride to encourage independence from God’s will. Finally, Satan used accusation to bring indictment against Joshua.

In chapters five through ten, Wiersbe offers some practical application on topics like the Armor of God (Ephesians 6) and recognizing Satan’s tactics in the church and home. While I appreciated the bullet-point type feel of Wiersbe’s structure, I thought he could’ve done a bit more to give the book better closure. It seemed to just drop off with a scant five pages of Satan’s strategies within the home.

I’m grateful that this book wasn’t super heady or mystical. Instead, it focuses solely on Scripture and the knowledge God has provided through His Word. I liked Wiersbe’s writing style so much that I might have to explore some of the 150 other books he’s written.